The French government collapsed Monday as Prime Minister François Bayrou lost a confidence vote in parliament over proposed budget cuts.
The outcome was expected, but nevertheless marked a major moment in French politics: President Emmanuel Macron, who is now set to appoint his fifth prime minister in less than two years, is facing ballooning pressure more than a year after he called snap elections that cost his centrist party its parliamentary majority.
Bayrou’s ouster doesn’t solve the country’s debt crisis or political gridlock, analysts said, and “Macron has to pick up the pieces,” a BBC editor wrote.
“You have the power to topple the government, but you don’t have the power to erase reality,” Bayrou told lawmakers.
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